Little Girl Lost
by Ebony-Jayne
Summary: A huge surprise awaits one of the squints at the Jeffersonian one cold winters morning…
1. Chapter 1

Title: Little Girl Lost

Author: Ebony-Jayne

Notes: A huge surprise awaits one of the squints at the Jeffersonian one cold winters morning…

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show or the storylines on the show. I do however own the characters that I make up so please don't steal them. Any resemblance to anyone or anyplace is a coincidence.

Bones

Chapter One: Surprise

Temperance Brennan stepped out of her warm car and into the frosty early morning air in the parking lot of the Jeffersonian Institute. She locked the doors and as she turned to head inside a noise made her stop in her tracks. She could hear a child crying. Suddenly on high alert she pulled her gun out of her bag and headed off to find the noise. She remembered that a series of women had gone missing a few years back, lured into a trap by a recording of a child crying. She crept toward the sound of the crying which seemed to be coming from near the buildings entrance. As she came closer she breathed out and put the gun away. There was a little girl standing a several feet left of the entrance doors to the medico-legal lab.

"Hey," Temperance called out awkwardly. Why couldn't Booth be here now? He was the one good at kids not her! The little girl backed away and cried louder. Slowly edging closer, Temperance wasn't sure what to do. "Uh it's ok…sweetie," she always felt reassured when her best friend and colleague Angela Montenegro called her 'sweetie' so she hoped the little girl would too. "Uh My name is Dr Temperance Brennan. I work here. I'm a forensic anthropologist," she told the little girl. The little girls sobs were getting quieter and slower now.

"What's that?" the little girl asked with a hiccough that made her whole body jump which Temperance actually found kind of cute.

"A forensic anthropologist is someone who studies bones and solves crimes," Temperance explained.

"Like on the CSI mommy likes?" the little girl took a few steps toward Temperance, her curiosity piqued.

"Yeah. But with bones not bodies," Temperance tried to smile reassuringly but she knew it was coming off as awkward. "Where is your mommy?" she asked.

"She went away. We went for a ride in the car in the dark and then we came here and then she went away," the little girl began to cry again. She hurled herself at Temperance and wrapped her little arms around her left leg. Temperance started to feel panicky. She had no idea what the hell she was doing! She'd never looked after a kid in her life. Deciding to act like the rational scientist she prided herself on being, Temperance looked around for any way to identify the child. She noticed two suitcases and a backpack sitting beside where the little girl had been standing and wondered what kind of mother left her little girl out in the freezing cold in the middle of the night. God knew who could have grabbed her if Temperance hadn't found her first.

"Uh it's ok…How about we go inside where it's warm?" Temperance asked. Soft curls wound themselves around her fingers when she hesitantly rested her hand on the child's head.

"Ok," the little girl let go of Temperance's leg and picked up her backpack and a stuffed dog that Temperance hadn't noticed before. She stood looking at Temperance expectantly. Temperance picked up the two suitcases and took the little girl inside.

Bones

"Is that ok?" Temperance asked as she watched the girl eat the muesli bar she had found for her.

"Yummy," she replied.

"What's your name?" Temperance asked.

"Addison," came the reply.

"Addison. Do you know why your mommy left you here?" Temperance asked. The little girl didn't reply.

"Morning sweetie!" Angela's voice drifted into Temperance's office. "What did you get up to in the weekend…Whoa," Angela went silent as she spotted Addison who promptly lunged at Temperance and started to cry again.

"Shhhhh," Temperance soothed, looking desperately at Angela for help.

"Bren, what's going on?" Angela asked sitting on the couch near Temperance and the little girl.

"I found her Ange, out in the parking lot. She said her mother left her there in the dark," Temperance explained.

"Oh my god. How awful," Angela said softly. "Hi Sweetie, I'm Angela," she said to the little girl. Addison lifted her head from Brennan's shoulder and looked at Angela before hiding her face again. "I wonder why she left her here," Angela said to Brennan.

"Yeah I've been wondering that myself," Temperance replied. Special Agent Seeley Booth chose that moment to stride in with Jack Hodgins and Zach Addy in tow.

"We got a case Bones!" he said loudly, not noticing what Brennan was holding.

"Why do I have to be here for this?" Hodgins asked grumpily. Addison suddenly started letting out terrified shrieks from Brennan's arms.

"Whoa," Booth looked at Brennan questioningly.

"I found her Booth. Outside of the lab. Her name's Addison," Brennan replied over Addison's screaming. She tried awkwardly to soothe her to no avail. She was starting to feel panicky again. She was waaaay out of her depth here.

"Is this your dog Addison?" Zach asked, picking the toy up off the floor. Addison stopped screaming immediately and looked at Zach. She nodded. "What is his name?" he asked her.

"Gordon," Addison whispered, sniffling.

"Gordon," Zach echoed holding the dog out to the little girl. She took it gently and hugged it to her chest, sliding her thumb into her mouth and snuggling closer to Temperance. Zach smiled at her and she smiled back around her thumb.

"Nice one Zach," Booth said approvingly.

"How come you are a human when you're talking to a kid but you turn into a robot when talking to adults?" Hodgins asked.

"Kids are easy. They don't judge," Zach said stiffly.

"Aww look She's sleeping," Angela pointed out.

"Well she must be exhausted," Booth replied. "Has anyone checked her bags for anything to ID her or explain why her mother left her here?" he asked.

"No not yet," Temperance told him. Booth picked up the little pink backpack first. He dug through a few things and then put it down.

"Just a few toys, some coloring books, crayons and paper," he stated. He opened the smaller of the two suitcases first and pulled out a letter that was sitting on top. He turned and held it out to Hodgins. "It's got your name on it," he stated.

"Mine?" Hodgins asked. He slowly opened the letter in his hands. He read through it silently and then read through it again. He looked up at them, shock written all over his face.

"What?" Angela asked. "What does it say Jack?" Hodgins was silent for a moment.

"It says…," he looked down at the letter and then back up again. "It says that kid is mine."

Bones

Thanks for reading. reviews make me happy. Very happy.

I'll get around to finishing my other stories one day. Promise.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Little Girl Lost

Author: Ebony-Jayne

Notes: Hodgins is trying to figure out how this could have happened.

Sorry for the delay. My University Qualification has to come first I'm afraid.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show or the story lines on the show. I do however own the characters that I make up so please don't steal them. Any resemblance to anyone or anyplace is a coincidence.

Bones

Chapter Two: The Past

"Oh my god Jack!" Angela gasped.

"Oh my god what?" Dr Camille Saroyan asked brightly, oblivious to the drama unfolding in Temperance Brennan's office. "Whose kid?" she asked catching sight of the sleeping child in Temperance's arms.

"Uh mine. Apparently," Hodgins told her.

"What?" Cam asked in shock.

"Brennan found her outside the building this morning. There was a letter in her bag that says Hodgins is the father," Angela explained.

"Well is he?" Cam asked.

"Well the letter says her mother is a woman named Vicky Halliday. I dated Vicky for three weeks in 2002. Addison Victoria was born on the 7th of June 2003. Dates would check out. It can't be right though. She knew where to find me. Why didn't she? We were on good terms. We emailed for two years after we broke up," Hodgins shook his head. He stared at the little girl in Temperance's arms. She had light brown curly hair, a delicate pixie-like face and when she was awake he had seen that she had piercing blue eyes. 'I could be a father and I had no idea,' he thought shaking his head. He stepped forward and crouched beside Temperance's. He lifted his hand and then withdrew it a little. "Can I…?" he asked Temperance.

"Well she's your kid," Temperance told him.

"Bones!" Booth scolded her flippancy.

"Sorry," She rolled her eyes. Hodgins reached out slowly and touched Addison's hair. He was surprised by how soft it was under his callused fingers. He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. He found it so hard to believe that the beautiful little creature in front of him could be his.

"I'm going to take Zach to start off this case Bones," Booth said quietly.

"Why? I can do it," Temperance protested.

"Bones if you leave that little girl is going to freak out. You need to stay until she gets used to everyone else," Booth told her.

"Damn it," Temperance cussed.

"Well maybe you should come to work at reasonable hour like everyone else Bones," Booth told her with a smirk. He and Zach walked out leaving Temperance to sulk.

Bones

"I have to go and get some air," Hodgins stated. He turned and practically ran out of the office.

"What am I supposed to do with her now that Hodgins has gone?" Temperance asked, an edge of panic could be detected in her voice.

"Wait 'til he comes back I guess," Cam smiled sweetly, which made Temperance want to smack her.

"I'm going to see if he's ok," Angela told them, turning and leaving the office.

"Wait! Ange! You can't leave me here alone with her!" Temperance called out desperately. "Damn it," She cussed as she watched her friend's retreating back. She turned and gently placed the little girl on the couch, tucking her in with the throw that was draped over the back of it. When she looked up she realised that Cam had sneaked off while she wasn't looking. She decided to sit down and try to do some work on her book while the child slept and then work out how to deal with her when she woke up.

Bones

"Jack!" Angela called out. "Wait up!" she jogged to catch up with him. "Are you ok?" she asked.

"I…I'm confused. Why wouldn't she tell me? We were friends Ange. For two years after we broke up. She can't be mine. This whole situation is just bizarre!" Angela could see the conflict in his eyes.

Jack wanted to believe that Addison was his but at the same time he didn't because if she was then his then his life was going to change forever. He began to pace, turning things over and over in his head and getting nowhere. Why wouldn't Vicky have told him? Why, if she hadn't told him about Addison in four years, would she suddenly abandon her at his workplace now? It just didn't make sense to him at all. He ran his hands through his hair and looked hopelessly at Angela.

"What do I do about this?" he asked her.

"I don't know Jack. I think you should make 100 sure that you are her father before you do anything else though," Angela replied quietly, not sure what else to say.

"Yes, ok that's a start," he replied. "I just can't get my head around this," he told her.

"You will," Angela reached up and touched his cheek. "I'm going to go back in and relieve Brenn of babysitting duty. She's probably freaking out by now." Angela smiled and headed back into the building.

Bones

"Hey Sweetie, how's it going?" Angela asked quietly as she entered Temperance's office. Temperance glared.

"How's Hodgins doing?" she asked

"He's confused more than anything I think," Angela asked, a little surprised than Temperance had actually asked.

"I'm not surprised," she told Angela.

"Do you think she's his kid?" Angela asked, not really expecting an answer.

"I don't know but she's got his eyes," Temperance replied. Angela laughed a little. "What?" Temperance asked. She had been totally serious, she had no idea what Angela was laughing about. "Ange! What?" she whined.

"Nothing sweetie. I just didn't expect that answer from you," Angela told her.

"Yeah, well," Temperance sulked. She looked up and saw Booth and Zack were back with their latest remains. "I'm going to go and have a look. Watch her for me for a bit?" she asked.

"Yeah, ok," Angela said as Temperance practically ran out of the room. She looked across at the sleeping child tucked up on the couch. 'This is going to be a wild ride,' she thought to herself.

Bones

Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Little Girl Lost

Author: Ebony-Jayne

Notes: Some bonding, a DNA test and some more confusion.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show or the story lines on the show. I do however own the characters that I make up so please don't steal them. Any resemblance to anyone or anyplace is a coincidence.

~Bones~

Chapter Three: Addison

Addison was just starting to stir when Hodgins came back into Brennan's office. He glanced at Angela as he went in and she smiled at him encouragingly. He sat down on the coffee table in front of the couch and watched the little girl wake up. She saw him and shrank back into the couch, hugging Gordon the dog tightly to her chest.

"Hi Addison," he said softly. "My name is Jack," he told her. He watched as she studied him for a few seconds. He was surprised when a small hand reached out to him. He took it and Addison shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you Jack," she whispered, before withdrawing her hand. Her wide blue eyes studied him intently and Hodgins had the feeling that she was looking right through him and into his soul.

"Are you hungry Addison?" he asked.

"Yes, but I have to pee," she informed him, still eyeing him warily.

"I can show you where the bathroom is if you'd like," Hodgins offered.

"Ok. But I can go all by myself," she told him.

"Ok," Hodgins held out his hand and Addison took it hesitantly. She left her dog on the couch while the two of them walked hand-in-hand to the bathroom. Angela couldn't help but smile at the sight.

~Bones~

Once they got back from the bathroom Angela and Hodgins found something for Addison to eat and a glass of water for her to drink. Once her tummy was full she seemed less afraid and she began to talk a little bit.

"Angela are you a…a…a what Tempence is?" she asked struggling with the name Temperance.

"No sweetie I'm not. I'm a forensic artist," Angela told her.

"You draw pictures?" Addison asked.

"Kind of," Angela told her.

"What are you Jack?" Addison asked.

"I'm the bug and slime guy," he told her.

"Bug and slime?" Addison queried.

"Yeah I look at bugs and dirt and stuff to find out where people died and when they died," he explained.

"Oh," Addison seemed to think about this for a while. "I like bugs," she told him with a small smile. Hodgins smiled back.

"Addison-," he began.

"You can call me Addie…if you want to," she told him shyly, avoiding his eyes. He smiled at her.

"Addie," he tried it out. "Do you want to come and look at my bug pictures?" he asked her.

"Yes please," she smiled.

~Bones~

Half an hour later they were still inspecting Hodgins' bug pictures in an unoccupied office. He even had a few samples that Addison had inspected with a microscope. She had surprised him with her knowledge of bugs it was basic to him but for a four year old it was a lot of technical knowledge. She had come right out of her shell while talking about segmented bodies and exoskeletons and Hodgins was proud of her intelligence. While they were looking Booth poked his head into the room.

"Hey Hodgins," he said quietly. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure," Hodgins replied. "Hey Addie, I'll be back soon ok?"

"Ok," she replied distractedly.

Hodgins gently closed the door and looked expectantly at Booth who blew out a sigh.

"Ok, I had someone at my office look into Vicky Halliday, to try and track her down," Booth rubbed a hand over his face. "The first thing that popped up was a police report. It was from this morning…she shot herself early this morning. I'd say right after she dropped off the kid," he told Hodgins.

"Oh my god," Hodgins leaned against the wall. "Do…do they know why?" he asked.

"Not at this stage," Booth told him. "There's an agent here from our lab to take DNA samples from both of you. When you're ready," Booth patted Hodgins on the shoulder as he left.

~Bones~

Hodgins slumped down to the ground. He rubbed a hand through his hair and then looked at the little girl looking at bug samples with a magnifying glass. He wondered what could have possessed Vicky to do this to her child. That poor child would forever have to deal with her mother abandoning her, leaving her in a car park in the middle of the night and driving to a secluded area to shoot herself in the head. He wondered, Would Addie shut herself off to the world and end up a socially impaired workaholic with obvious attachment issues like Brennan? Much as he loved Bren, she was what she was and she couldn't help that. She had been abandoned in much the same way. Hodgins stood and took a deep breath. If this was his child he would make sure that never happened. He would make sure that if he was her father then although she was abandoned by her mother she would have a father who loved her, who took care of her. Hodgins walked out into the lab in search of the DNA tech. 'Let's get this show on the road,' he thought to himself.

~Bones~

I know. It's short. But it's an update! After a truly shitty 2 years I'm finally starting to get back into my writing. I'm hoping to finish all of my unfinished stories in the next couple of weeks and then start in on some new ones. After 2 years of not writing I have a lot of ideas floating around. And I know that I'm way behind the show. Just bear with me and remember that this is pre-gormagon era.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Little Girl Lost

Author: Ebony-Jayne

Notes: And the father is… I'm taking creative license with the time it takes for DNA to come back. If it takes a few hours on the show it can in my story! And I don't share the character Vicky's view on suicide just to be clear.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show or the story lines on the show. I do however own the characters that I make up so please don't steal them. Any resemblance to anyone or anyplace is a coincidence.

~Bones~

Chapter Four: The Test

The DNA had been sent to a lab that specialized in paternity suits so the results would be back in 48 hours. Child Services had agreed to let Brennan Take care of Addie for the time being seeing as she was registered as a foster parent. So Hodgins had said goodbye to her and headed home. He wasn't going to sleep for the next two days. He knew that for a fact. As he lay in bed he again wondered why Vicky had done this. What had possessed the woman to abandon her daughter? He knew something would have to be seriously wrong for her to do something like this. She just wasn't the type to abandon her child and kill herself for no reason… She was vivacious, beautiful and loved life. She had even told Hodgins once that she thought killing yourself to be the ultimate in selfishness. What had changed? As he pondered this his mind wandered back in time to those precious few weeks he had spent with Vicky in LA…

~Bones~

_The music was loud, the booze was cheap and everyone was having a great time. Jack had gone outside to grab a few breaths of fresh air when he saw her_, _long blonde hair, high cheekbones, big green eyes. He had seen her earlier on the dance floor and had been taken aback at how beautiful she was. She looked to be having the time of her life, dancing with the guys who had flocked to her, drawn in no doubt by her beauty. She had been happy to dance with them but had deflected all of their advances for anything more than that. Now here she was smiling at him and walking towards him. His palms began to sweat and his breathing sped up as she got closer._

"_Hi," she greeted a little nervously._

"_Uh..hi," Jack replied awkwardly._

"_I'm Vicky," she held out her hand._

"_Jack," he replied, taking her hand in his._

"_Oh God I swear this never used to be as weird and awkward when I was younger," Vicky laughed._

"_Huh that's funny because I remember it being just this weird and awkward," Jack told her. She laughed and it was a vibrant, contagious sound and Jack found himself laughing too. "Wanna go dance?" he asked, unsure of where this new courage was coming from._

"_I'd love to," Vicky replied. _

_~Bones~_

_They had spent almost an hour dancing together, drinking together and having a blast that night. Then Jack had walked Vicky home. At her front door he had leaned in, meaning to kiss her cheek, but she saw him coming and turned her head so that his lips met hers. After a few seconds they broke apart. She smiled._

"_Night Jack," she said wickedly._

"_Uh…um…goodnight Vicky," Jack replied._

_They had gone out three more times that week and things had gotten physical on the third time. For three weeks they had lived and breathed each other. Then Jack had to go back to DC. It had been so hard to say goodbye. They were both left broken hearted and they had exchanged email addresses and promised that their relationship could work long distance. After six months however they had realized that it wasn't going to work. They had emailed as friends for a while but after eighteen months they had just drifted out of contact. Jack had often thought of her and although he had had girlfriends since, none of them really compared to Vicky…_

~Bones~

Jack paced and ran his hands through his hair. Any time now. Any time now he would find out for sure if Addison was his child. He had no idea how he felt about the situation. On the one hand he wanted her to be his but on the other hand the entire idea freaked the living hell out of him. How in the hell could he raise a child on his own?! It scared him just to think about it. He suddenly envisioned himself trying to give her the birds and bees talk. What would he do when she bought home her first boyfriend? He shook his head and made a conscious decision to cross those bridges if or when he came to them. He heard his name being called and then Brennan was walking toward him, Addie holding tightly to one hand, a manila envelope in the other.

"Ohhh God," he whispered to himself…

~Bones~

He stared at the results in front of him, breathing heavily.

"Hodgins?" Brennan asked gently. She got no response. She reached over and touched his shoulder and he looked up at her. "Well?" she asked.

"She…She…Addison…She…She's…I have a child…"

~Bones~

Next chapter soon if the muse co-operates…


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